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Dhampirs
Dhampirs are the unfortunate offspring of vampires and humans and much like tieflings, they have no place in the world. Vampires themselves are already seen as cursed beings who only spread misery everywhere they go and the half-breed dhampirs are just another way for them to hide amongst the populace. The birth of dhampirs is full of mystery and various theories, but most believe that they are born from already pregnant women being inflicted with the curse of vampirism through either blood magic or a direct bite. Perhaps some may even be born from a truly romantic relationship but it still leaves one to wonder how the dead could produce offspring with the living. Their lives are tough, with many being killed at a young age because of their origins being discovered or their mothers simply dying at birth or going mad. Some survive to adulthood and they begin to discover their vampiric ancestry in early adolescence but almost all of them grow up as orphans. Whatever the case, dhampirs are universally despised and forced to live in hiding and fortunately for them, they are only half-vampire. This has allowed some to settle in but still, most dhampirs are wanderers at heart, opting to work as bounty hunters and doing various odd-jobs here and there. They do not like to sit around for long as every passing day increases their risk of being discovered and lynched by the community. Taking care and being thorough in their actions has become a part of their nature and this allowed a few of them to survive to the present day. Physical description On the surface, the physique of a dhampir resembles that of half-elves; they are a bit more slender but not always noticeably so. In general, dhampir blend in well with humans; their average height tends to be around 175 to 180 centimeters and they weigh around 68 to 75 kilograms. Dhampirs cast a very humanlike shadow but in clear light, their differences become more apparent; the things that usually give them away are their extremely pale skin, short pointed ears as well as pronounced facial structure such as unusually high cheekbones and sharp jawlines. Rarer features may include clawed fingernails, unusually long fangs, dead eyes, thin and uneven hair, extremely clean skin and inability to grow facial hair. Dhampirs might inherit more extreme unique features from their vampiric side and it seemingly depends on their heritage; some vampire clans are known for being more mutated and monstrous while others prefer a more cleanly noble look. Dhampirs usually wear heavy clothing to hide their "unhuman" parts and some might use alchemy or magic to give their skin a slightly darker tone. In time, dhampirs have found plenty of simple ways to blend in and this has helped them to survive. While some are led to believe that dhampirs are undead and therefore immortal, that is not the case; the maximum age of a dhampir is line with basic humans, being around 100 years. Society As mentioned before, dhampirs do not have a place to call home and so most of them are forced to wander across the land. In extremely rare cases, dhampirs have been able to settle down without being discovered and have been able to live fairly normal lives among humans. Still, even these individuals have had to constantly deal with stress and plan ahead in order to stay hidden. That is why being a bounty hunter or professional assassin is the perfect profession for a dhampir; it is a job that one usually does alone, taking on contracts in various parts of the world. Most dhampirs have found themselves these kinds of jobs around Antar and some have gained themselves such a good reputation as efficient killers that they have been given a place to stay in the city without pursuit. The same can be said about El Sherdan; Sherdanian nobles offer various jobs to shady folk and being a dhampir makes no difference to them as long as the job gets done. Dhampirs in particular are very efficient at hunting undead, beings that have begun to concern El Sherdan as of late. Still, in Sherdanian lands, they must learn to avoid the paladins and clerics of the Radiant Sun who offer no mercy to these cursed half-breeds. Some have even been able to settle in Náraleth masked as a gray elf because of their pale skin and pointed ears, although this would still require a lot of knowledge on the language and customs of the gray elves, which few dhampirs have. As such, the few dhampirs that have been able to survive in Énelya are mostly found living in eternal isolation, always on the move and never staying still. Rules * Ability Score Modifiers: Dhampirs are fast and seductive, but their racial bond to the undead impedes their mortal vigor. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, and –2 Constitution. * Type: Humanoid, dhampir * Size: Medium * Base Speed: 30 feet * Languages: Dhampirs begin play speaking Common. Those with high Intelligence scores can choose any language it wants (except secret languages, such as Druidic and Drow Sign Language). See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages. * Undead Resistance: Dhampirs gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects. * Resist Level Drain: A dhampir takes no penalties from Energy Drain effects, though he can still be killed if he accrues more negative levels then he has Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels a dhampir takes are removed without the need for an additional saving throw. This is an extraordinary ability. * Manipulative: Dhampirs gain a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Perception checks. * Undead Seeker: A dhampir can use Detect Undead three times per day as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this ability equals the dhampir’s class level. * Darkvision: Dhampirs see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet. * Low-light vision: In addition to their ability to see perfectly in the dark up to 60 ft, dhampirs have low-light vision, allowing them to see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light. * Light Sensitivity: Dhampirs are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a Daylight spell. * Negative Energy Affinity: Though a living creature, a dhampir reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead — positive energy harms it, while negative energy heals it. * Fangs: Whenever a dhampir makes a grapple combat maneuver check to damage an opponent, he can choose to bite his opponent, dealing 1d3 points of damage as if using a natural bite attack. As a standard action, dhampirs can bite a creature that is bound, helpless, paralyzed, or similarly unable to defend itself. * Final Embrace: '''Dhampirs gain a +2 trait bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks to pin an opponent. * '''Sunlight Syndrome Many denizens of the night are particularly vulnerable to the sun’s brutal rays — vampires in particular. A character or creature vulnerable to sunlight syndrome — typically a member of a race with light sensitivity — must attempt a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw at the end of any day during which he spent more than 1 hour exposed to sunlight. Mundane gear such as a sun sensitivity outfit does not spare a character from needing to attempt this saving throw. If the saving throw succeeds, he faces no ill effects. If the saving throw fails, he must choose one of the following results: he gains the fatigued condition until he spends 12 hours resting in an area of dim light or darkness, or he gains 1 sunlight syndrome point. If the character gains a sunlight syndrome point, he takes no immediate ill effects, but he takes a -2 penalty on saving throws against sunlight syndrome for as long as he has 1 or more sunlight syndrome points. A character can have multiple sunlight syndrome points, the penalties of which stack. One sunlight syndrome point can be removed by spending 12 hours resting in an area of dim light or darkness. Building up sunlight syndrome points represents the character’s resolve in facing the uncomfortable light, but also his growing discomfort — which can prove dangerous. If a character gains a number of sunlight syndrome points equal to his Constitution modifier, he risks being overwhelmed. Anytime the character gains the dazzled condition as a result of bright light, he must attempt an immediate DC 30 Fortitude saving throw. The penalties imposed by sunlight syndrome points apply to this saving throw. If he fails, he is immediately fatigued. This condition lasts until the character spends 24 hours unconscious in an area of dim light or darkness with at least two-thirds of his body buried in cool earth, rocks, or sand. The character is helpless during this time. At the end of this period, all of the character’s sunlight syndrome points are removed. Category:Half-bloods